The chemical and medical literature describes compounds that are said to be antimicrobial, i.e., capable of destroying or suppressing the growth or reproduction of microorganisms, such as bacteria. For example, such antibacterials and other antimicrobials are described in Antibiotics, Chemotherapeutics, and Antibacterial Agents for Disease Control (M. Grayson, editor, 1982), and E. Gale et al., The Molecular Basis of Antibiotic Action 2d edition (1981).
The mechanisms of action of these antibacterials vary. One notable mechanism is bacterial aminopeptidase (bMAP) inhibitors. bMAP inhibition is an important therapeutic target in anti-infective focus area because it is involved in translation of mature proteins, and is conserved among known pathogenic bacteria. Therefore, inhibition of this enzyme would lead to broad-spectrum antimicrobial agents.
Many attempts to produce improved antimicrobials yield equivocal results. Indeed, few antimicrobials are produced that are truly clinically acceptable in term of their spectrum of antimicrobial activity, avoidance of microbial resistance, and pharmacology. Thus, there is a continuing need for broad-spectrum antimicrobials, which are effective against resistant microbes.